My
love for children started at an early age in a small country church in
Knoxville. I started babysitting at 11 years old and most of the time took
care of some babies in a Sunday School room during the service. I was at church any time the doors opened
except when I was sick. I thought I was saved at the age of nine at VBS and was
baptized in a creek. I sold 150 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts to earn $15 to go to
GA camp at Camp Carson when I was 11 years old. That was one of the most
memorable times of my life. Meeting the missionaries started my interest in
missions and is why I am in our WMU here at Indian Springs.
I
met my long time friend at the age of three in the Beginner Class. We attended
school and church together all the way
thru high school. We get together about
3 times a year and it always seems as if we have not been apart. God has
blessed me with knowing her family for 64 years.
When
I moved to Kingsport, I continued my love for children and became Nursery Coordinator at the two churches
that I attended before joining Indian Springs. God gave me the special blessing
of working in the Awana program for over 15 years after I became a Christian. I worked with Sparkies up to Junior
High. I meet adults out
somewhere and they will remind me that I had them in Awana. It’s always such a blessing if they are still
in church and gives me a chance to witness
to those who aren’t living for the Lord. I continued my love for children while working as a Pediatric nurse for
10 years.
I
knew what career that I wanted at an early life and as a results became a
Junior Red Cross
Volunteer in a hospital at age thirteen. When I graduated high school, I had
the most hours ever accumulated by a Junior Volunteer.
I worked my way thru nursing school at ETSU and after getting my degree, I became
a surgical nurse here in Kingsport . For 30 years God gave me
a chance to be there for my patients when they came into my surgery room and
give them loving care. I was there for many of our Church members and family. Those years were very
rewarding and helped to make me who I am.
I was able to witness to many of my co-workers and make a
difference in their lives.
At
the age of 24, after spending many years in church, doing nursery work, singing
in the Choir
and going on visitation, I realized I was lost when I heard Rev. Dick Ratliff
preaching on
‘The Chains of Bondage.’ What a
difference it made in what I did for the Lord after
giving my whole life to Him. My life has been centered around the Lord every
since that
time. I have 3 children who were brought up in church and we taught them all we
could about
the Lord and living for Him. I turned them over to Him at an early age and
actually had
the awesome pleasure of leading my oldest son to the Lord late one night when
he realized
that he was lost. My oldest son has been
a Youth Pastor for 13 years and serves as
a Southern Gospel Radio Station D.J.. My
daughter, Angie, has been very active in church since
an early age and is still serving the Lord with her musical talent. She and
Scott are raising their 2 children in
church here at Indian Springs. My middle son strayed from the Lord for 20 years
as a result of losing two of his friends in a wreck during his Senior year of
High School. We prayed all those years and had faith in the Lord’s Promise of
Proverbs 22:6. What was important during those years was that he knew we loved him and
was praying for him. He now lives for the
Lord and attends Brentwood Baptist in Nashville.
After
a very painful divorce, I had a wonderful Christian mentor who kept me centered
on God
and to be content with myself in Him. In 2004 after 10 years of being single,
God brought a wonderful
Christian man back into my life under very strange circumstances. In 2005, Tom
and I were the first to be married here
in the new sanctuary.
When
I retired after 40 yearsof nursing, my health had some major changes. I prayed to
the Lord to let me continue serving him after losing sight in my left eye from
a stroke. Within 9 months, He showed me where He needed
me to serve. Once again my favorite scripture verse of Jeremiah 29:11 showed me
His promises are never changing. I’ve
had many turns in my life and have questioned God but have not doubted that He
could get me through. I have depended on
a section of verses in Isaiah
40:21-31. Many days I have been ‘weary’
but He lifted me up. Praise His Holy Name.
He has surrounded me with great Christian friends, a Scriptural Pastor
and a Church
who stands on God’s word. I enjoy being
the Director of our Senior Ministry and love those Senior Saints that I work
with. I have a vision for them and for myself that upon meeting our Saviour, He
would say “Well done thy faithful Servant.”
~ Submitted by Kathy Neal
ISBC Women's Ministry
Communications Coordinator
